Real Life
by Plot vs. Smut
Summary: Not everything is kooky and funny. In one day, Carly loses everything she holds dear. In one day, Carly finds out that some things are just too real.


"And that's a wrap!" Freddie called, pressing the button on his laptop that shut off the live feed for iCarly. "Great show, guys, good job. I say we go downstairs and make milkshakes. Who's up for one?" he called as he set his camera in its case.

"I am!" Sam yelled, throwing her hand up into the air. "Hey, Freddie, go make me a milkshake."

"Make your own milkshake!"

"It was your suggestion."

"Too bad!"

Their bickering faded into the distance as they trudged down the stairs, leaving Carly and Jonah, Sam's boyfriend, alone in the loft. Again. Carly eyed him warily as she headed toward the door, hoping he wasn't going to try to kiss her again. She had managed to fend him off the last time, but she hadn't told Sam. She didn't want to hurt her best friend by telling her how much of an ass her boyfriend really was.

"Hey, Carly?" he called from his usual seat in the back of the set. She turned cautiously.

"Yes, Jonah?" she asked. He stood leisurely, stretching as he ambled toward her. Every muscle in Carly's body was tense, nervous. She didn't move, even when he stopped just a foot from her, staring her down calmly.

"Why did you turn me down last week?" he asked quietly.

"Because you're my best friend's boyfriend," Carly answered immediately. "And because I don't want to kiss you." He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

"You know, uh, I'm not very happy about that," he said.

"I wouldn't imagine you would be," she said, getting more nervous by the moment but trying to keep her voice steady and confident. "In fact, I would be rather worried if you were."

"Well, no need to worry, then, because I am not happy," he reiterated slowly, edging closer to her. The move was almost imperceptible, but it put Carly even more on edge. His posture had suddenly, but subtly, switched from a carefully intimidating to a threatening stance.

"What do you want, Jonah?" Carly snapped, backing up a step, toward the door, hoping to make a break for it as soon as possible. He followed her, maintaining the proximity.

"You know what I want, Carly," he said quietly. She hesitated, and then shook her head. "I want you."

"But…but why?" she asked, her voice starting to shake as panic began to set in. "Why pursue me when you have Sam?"

"Oh, Sam's okay as a casual girlfriend," he said, in a perfectly ordinary tone. There was nothing overtly threatening about him. He just had an oily, vulture-like quality about him, like he was waiting for you to let your guard down before he struck. And Carly was determined not to let him get her. "Sam's someone to go out with, someone to put up a front with, and show off to my friends, but I could never deal with her long-term. She's too volatile, too erratic. But you. You're consistent in how you are. How funny, how smart, how beautiful, how kind, how selfless. Always so perfect."

Carly continued to inch backwards, reaching carefully for the door handle, never allowing herself to break eye contact with Jonah. If he wasn't looking directly at her, he would notice. His eyes were blazing with obsession, and Carly was feeling genuine flickers of fear now as he advanced on her steadily. He was barely inches from her now, and his fevered eyes burned into her frightened ones with an intensity that made her knees start to shake.

"Jonah," she began, but she didn't have any idea what she was going to say to make him stop. "I-I don't know what you think you're doing, but Freddie, Sam, and Spencer are all downstairs. And they know we're up here. What do you think they're going to think if we're up here together too long?"

"I don't care if you don't," he whispered.

"But I do--" She didn't get to finish. Jonah swooped down and kissed her, spinning her around and pulling her to him fiercely. She fought until he released her, and she stumbled back toward the center of the room. It wasn't until the grin spread across his face that she realized he had successfully placed himself between her and the door. Jonah reached behind himself and locked the door with a flick of his wrist. Carly's heart went into overdrive, pounding against her ribcage so hard it hurt. She wiped her lips as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Jonah," she said again, warningly. He ignored her and took a step toward her. "Jonah, think about what you're doing. Remember the others."

"They left," he said blankly.

Her heart skipped a beat and she broke out into a cold sweat. "What?"

"Freddie came up to see why we were taking so long," Jonah informed her with a maniacal smile. "He saw us kissing. Believe it or not, he doesn't want to hurt Sam any more than you do, so he suggested they just leave for smoothies without us." Carly felt a sudden rush of anger toward Freddie, and then an even sicker swoop of dread. She knew what she was facing, what all of those self-defense classes at the rec center had been talking about.

Jonah strode toward her, his step suddenly confident and swift. He pulled her in close to him again, kissing her ardently. She struggled, but he refused to let her go this time. He came up for air, and she used all of her strength to push him off. She tumbled out of his arms and hit the floor with a loud thump. Pain shot up her arm and Jonah chuckled softly.

"Nice try, Carly, but you're not doing yourself any good," he said smoothly. Carly shook her head, a few tears spilling out of the corners of her eyes and tracing their way down her flushed cheeks. "Why fight it when all that will do is make this more difficult for us both?"

"Because it's not right!" she cried, hoping to god that someone could hear her. "You can't do this to me, Jonah!" Jonah sank down on a knee beside her, brushing her hair out of her face in what would have been a loving gesture had it not seemed so threatening. She shuddered, turning away from him.

"Oh, Carly," he whispered, "how can it be wrong when it feels so good?"


End file.
